Warner Bros. has reportedly delayed the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game from Rocksteady Studios until 2023, likely due to production and development challenges caused by the pandemic. Warner Bros. also delayed Gotham Knights, Hogwarts Legacy, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga from 2021 to 2022, citing problems caused by the pandemic as the reason for the delays. The COVID pandemic delayed half of developers’ games planned for 2020 and 2021. Pandemic-related delays continue to be a widespread issue throughout the gaming industry, with rumors that 2022 titles like God of War Ragnarök, which doesn't yet have a confirmed release date, may also be delayed.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was announced by Rocksteady Studios in August 2020, to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The Suicide Squad game is a continuation of the Batman: Arkham series, and will be the first game in the series without Batman as a playable character, with the team of antiheroes as the playable characters, including Batman: Arkham's Harley Quinn. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is Rocksteady Studios’ first major title since 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight. If Suicide Squad is delayed until 2023, it’ll be an eight-year gap between the two most recent installments of the Batman: Arkham series.

Related: Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Needs Harley & Ivy As A Couple

Stepping away from a focus on Batman, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will allow players to play as one of four members of the Suicide Squad: Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark. The trailers and gameplay released on the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League channel on YouTube have received positive feedback, with comments praising the gameplay mechanics, movement, and combat. Fans were quick to draw comparisons between the upcoming Suicide Squad's gameplay compared to Marvel’s Avengers and Gotham Knights. Marvel's Avengers left many fans disappointed, receiving mixed reviews, and has since launch lost over 96% of its players, struggling to retain 1,000 players on Steam.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Release Delayed Until 2023

Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League Delayed 2023 King Shark

Due to the initial excitement around Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s trailers and gameplay, many fans will be understandably disappointed if the game is delayed until 2023. However, Suicide Squad’s delay is just one of many, emblematic of the impact of COVID throughout the gaming industry, and the media and entertainment industry as a whole. Pandemic-related delays have been prevalent since 2020, and continue into 2022, and likely beyond. In other media, DC Comics announced delays due to COVID-related shortages, dealing yet another blow to fans of the DC universe.

Unfortunately for fans of the Batman: Arkham series and DC-inspired games, they may have to wait until 2023 due to Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League's delay. Hopefully, Gotham Knights will release this year as scheduled, to sate fans of DC in the meantime. Warner Bros. has yet to announce the delay directly, which was reported by Bloomberg, thanks to people familiar with Suicide Squad’s development. The news spread like wildfire online, so it’s likely an announcement from Rocksteady Studios or Warner Bros. will be shared shortly, to confirm whether Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is officially delayed until 2023.

Next: After Suicide Squad Delay, Is Gotham Knights Next

Source: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League/YouTube, Bloomberg